Method and apparatus for forming carriers for container groups

ABSTRACT

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING A CARRIER FOR AN ARTICLE GROUP. THE CARRIER IS FORMED FROM WEBS EXTENDING AROUND THE INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES OF THE GROUP. APPARATUS IS PROVIDED FOR FEEDING A PAIR OF INNER WEBS BETWEEN TWO ROWS OF THE GROUP, AND STRUCTURE IS PROVIDED FO FORMING THE WEBS SO THAT EACH WEB HALF ENCIRCLES THE ARTICLES OF EACH ROW. THESE WEBS ARE JOINED AT THE POINTS OF CONJUGACY OF THE ARTICLES. APPARATUS IS ALSO PROVIDED FOR FEEDING A PAIR OF WEBS ALONG THE OUTER SIDES OF EACH ROW, AND FOR JOINING SUCH OUTER WEBS TO THE INNER WEBS. THE WEBS ARE PREFERABLY FORMED FROM THERMOPLASTIC RESINS HAVING MEMORY CHARACTERISTICS, AND EACH WEB IS STRETCHED PRIOR TO ITS APPLICATION TO THE ARTICLES, SO THAT THE ARTICLE ENGAGING LOOPS MAY SUBSEQUENTLY CONTRACT TO HOLD THE ARTICLES TIGHTLY IN THE LOOP. ALTERNATELY, THE WEBS MAY BE FORMED OF PAPER COATED WITH AN ADHESIVE MATERIAL AND CAPABLE OF BEING ADHERED.

Oct. 12, 1971 F, CHIDSEY, JR 3,611,656

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CARRIERS FOR CONTAINER GROUPS FiledApril 24. 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W2 SR2 INVENTOR FRANCJS A. CHIDSEKJROct. 12, 1971 c s JR 3,611,656

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING CARRIERS FOR CONTAINER GROUPS FiledApril 24. 1970 2 Sheets-Sheet m H 30 30 C H I NVENTOR FRANCIS A.CHIDSEY, JR.

M M*LW ATTORNEYS United States Pate U.S. Cl. 533 12 Claims ABSTRACT OFTHE DISCLOSURE Method and apparatus for forming a carrier for an articlegroup. The carrier is formed from webs extending around the individualarticles of the group. Apparatus is provided for feeding a pair of innerwebs between two rows of the group, and structure is provided forforming the Webs so that each web half encircles the articles of eachrow. These webs are joined at the points of conjugacy of the articles.Apparatus is also provided for feeding a pair of webs along the outersides of each row, and for joining such outer webs to the inner webs.The webs are preferably formed from thermoplastic resins having memorycharacteristics, and each web is stretched prior to its application tothe articles, so that the article engaging loops may subsequentlycontract to hold the articles tightly in the loop. Alternately, the websmay be formed of paper coated with an adhesive material and capable ofbeing adhered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This inventionrelates to a method and apparatus for making an article carrier fromweb-like material. The resulting carrier consists of a plurality ofconjugately arranged loops adapted to be fitted about a group ofcontainers arranged in a predetermined relationship. The loops areformed in a unique method practiced in the apparatus disclosed herein.

(2) The prior art In the packaging of beverages, for example, thosecommonly known as six-packs, it has been the practice to form a carrierfrom a web of a resinous material having memory characteristics. The webis provided with apertures through which a container extends and isengaged. After the apertured web is placed over the container group, theresinous material of the web is shrunk about the individual containers,so that they are tightly secured by the web.

The following patents are illustrative of the prior art relating tocarriers of the general type just discussed and formed in the mannerrecited: Poupitch, 2,874,835, Poupitch, 2,997,169, Fisher, 3,044,230,Poupitch, 3,086, 651, Whyte, 3,232,422, Cunningham, 3,268,070, Wanderer,3,269,530, Beart, 3,307,321.

In the formation of carriers as disclosed in the above patents, a movingweb must be punched to provide the container receiving apertures,resulting in an inordinate amount of waste material.

Other forms of carriers made from resinous materials are shown in thefollowing patents: Whiteford, 3,224,576, Stern et al., 3,250,564,Wanderer, 3,269,530.

Structures of the kind disclosed in the just previously mentionedpatents require the use of the complicated moulding equipment whichcannot function in continuous uninterrupted cycles.

The following patents illustrate carriers formed from a flat sheet ofresinous material having the property of being shrinkable about thecontainers. These carriers are formed with a minimum amount of loss inscrap material: Bie- Patented Oct. 12, 1971 seeker et al., 2,994,426,Curry et al., 3,186,544, Wozniak, 3,385,626.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A carrier constructed according to the methodand apparatus of present invention consist of conjugately arrangedloops, each having an axial extent which is considerably greater thanthe thickness of the material forming the loops. The tube-like elementsare formed from a plurality of Webs fed to moving container groups andadhered together between the containers of the group to provide aplurality of loops, each loop being adapted to hold tightly therein acontainer of the container group.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of apparatus for carrying out themethod according to the present invention;

FIGS. 2 to 5 inclusive are schematic plan views showing the stepsemployed in forming an article carrier in the apparatus seen in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a container group held within a carrier formedby the appaartus and method according to the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a side view thereof; and

FIG. 8 is an end view thereof;

The improved apparatus and method according to the present invention isreferred to generally by the reference numeral 10 and is adapted to forman article carrier 10A about an article or container group CG comprisedof individual articles or containers C which may be of the type havingupper and lower chimed ends CH.

The structure for forming the carrier 10A about the container group CGseen in FIGS. 6 to 8 inclusive is seen in FIG. 1, and includes a pair ofsupply reels SR1 and SR2, these respectively supplying inner webs W1 andW2. The webs are preferably made of resinous material having memorycharacteristics for a purpose as will appear. In the several views seenthe thickness of the webs is exaggerated to enable the invention to bedescribed more readily. The webs W1 and W2 are preferably made ofthermoplastic material and self-adhere by the application of heat.

It may be noted that the webs disclosed herein may be of paper withcoatings capable of adhering generally by the application of heat.

The two webs W1 and W2 are adapted to be fed between paired spacedrollers 11 and 12, rollers 11 turning a greater peripheral speed thanrollers 12 so that the length of the webs therebetween is stretched aslight amount. The two webs W1 and W2 move in side-byside relationshipby a flight conveyor 13A having flights 14 thereon, these standing erectfrom the individual flight members 13B comprising conveyor 13. The websW1 and W2 are spaced by the flights 14.

The two webs W1 and W2 are adhered together by means of heated weldingmembers 16 movable to and fro laterally of the direction of the movementof the flight conveyor 13A by means of air cylinders 17. Structure, notshown, is provided for heating the members 16, and details of suchstructure are well-known and need not be described in detail herein.Upon closing of the two laterally moving webs members 16 with the websW1 and W2 therebetween a weld 15 is made in webs W1 and W2 midwaybetween a pair of upstanding flights 14.

It may be noted that the welding operation referred to takes place withsuch speed in the ordinary case that the welding members 16 and theactuating cylinders 17 do not need to move with the flight conveyor 13,and that the time of contact of the two webs W1 and W2 during suchwelding operation is such a short interval that a flying type of deviceis not necessary. It may be noted also, that the welds 15 are made threeat a time, and that the operation of the Welding members 16 andcylinders 1-7 are timed according to the movement of conveyor 13A.

The two inner webs W1 and W2 are shown as extending in rathersemi-circular fashion between adjacent flight 14. Actually each web W1and W2 is stretched a slight amount between flights 14 by reason of theoperation of the welding members 16, 16.

The so-connected webs W1 and W2 thus have pockets P therein between theadjacent flights 14, and structure is provided for introducing acontainer C to each sideby-side pocket P. These are fed in a chutedefined by side rails 18 and 19, and the containers C are properlyspaced by star wheels 21 located one to each side of the flight conveyor13A, and turning in timed relationship with the pockets P and flightconveyor 13A upon a shaft 22. Each of the star wheels 21 has acontainerpocket CP therein, and in being guided to the pockets P formedsideby-side webs W1 and W2, each individual container C movesadditionally past a side rail member 20.

The containers C move with the flight conveyor 13A in side-by-siderelationship with each container held in a pocket P formed in the innerwebs W1 and W2, and the containers C are each constrained toward thepocket C by endless orbitally movable strands 23 trained at theirupstream end around a sprocket 24 and at their downstream end aroundsecond sprocket 26. The strands shown herein are in the form of endlesssprocket chains but they equally well may be endless belts trainedbetween tail and head pulleys 24 and 26.

Downstream from the point where the containers C are moved to theindividual pockets P, a pair of outer webs W3 and W4 are trained alongside the outer faces of the articles C, and are joined respectively tothe Webs W1 and W2, as will now appear.

Each of the webs W3 and W4 is supplied from respective supply reel SR3and SR4, and the webs W3 and W4 are additionally moved between spacedpaired rollers 27 and 28 which stretch the webs W3 and W4 slightly inthe same fashion as the webs W1 and W2.

Structure is provided for adhering the webs W3 and W4 to the respectivewebs W1 and W2, and to this end welding members 29 movable by cylinders31 cause the webs W3 and W4 to be adhered respectively to webs W1 and W2to provide a closed and stretched loop L about each container body C. Aswith the heater members 16 and the actuating cylinders 17 providing foradherence of webs W1 and W2, welding members 29 and actuating cylinders31 may be mounted in such a fashion as to perform the scaling functionin a flying manner. Unless the container body C moves at a very greatspeed a flying arrangement is not necessary, so long as a good seal ismade between the moving webs.

At the completion of the placement of the loops L about the containerbodies C, a container group CG is separated from the moving line ofcontainers by a flying shear FS operated by a shear mechanism FSM. Theresultant group then appears as seen in FIGS. 6 to 8.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for forming article carriers comprising:

(a) means for feeding a pair of inner webs in side-byside relationship;

(b) means for adhering the same together at longitudinally spaced pointstherealong;

() means for spacing the webs laterally so as to define an articlereceiving pocket between each point of adherence of said webs;

(d) means for delivering an article to each of said pockets so that saidarticles move in side-by-side rows;

(e) means for feeding a pair of outer webs along the outer sides of saidarticles;

(f) means for forming said last named webs about said articles and foradhering the same to corresponding inner webs to define articleencircling loops which are connected together.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said inner web spacing meansincludes an endless conveyor having web engaging flights extendingtherefrom.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said means for forming saidouter webs about said articles includes means movable against said innerweb spacing means with one of said inner and outer webs engagedtherebetween.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said webs are formed fromresinous materials having memory characteristics.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for feeding saidinner webs includes means for stretching said webs whereby the memorycharacteristics of said resinous material causes said webs to engagesaid articles snugly.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein the means for forming theouter webs around said articles stretches said outer webs whereby thememory characteristics of said resinous materials causes said outer websto engage said articles snugly.

7. The invention according to claim 1 wherein means are provided forsevering said article carrier at regular intervals to provide discretearticle groups.

8. The invention according to claim 1 wherein said webs are formed ofthermoplastic materials and wherein the adhering means are adapted toheat said webs for adhesion.

*9. A method of forming article carriers which comprises the steps of:

(a) feeding a pair of inner webs in side-by-side relationship;

(b) adhering same together at longitudinally spaced points therealong;

(c) spacing the adhered webs laterally between the points of adherencethereof to define article receiving pockets in each web;

((1) delivering an article to the pockets of each web so that saidarticles move in side-by-side rows;

(e) feeding a pair of outer webs along the outer side of said articles;

(f) forming said outer webs about said articles and adhering the same tocorresponding inner webs to define article encircling loops which areconnected together. I

10. A method according to claim 9 which includes the step of stretchingsaid webs to rely on the memory characteristics thereof to cause thearticle engaging loops to firmly engage said articles.

11. A method according to claim '9 which includes the step of severingsaid webs at intervals defining said articles as article groups.

12. A method according to claim 9 wherein said webs are formed fromthermoplastic material and said webs are adhered by pressure and heat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/1968 Schaich 53-48 X 11/1969Rockett 206-65

